Genetic help needed.

tazcat70

I must be crazy!
13 Years
Oct 5, 2007
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Ok, this is about the Orps with the red leakage. I am NOT wanting to upset anyone, and I don't want to start a fight. I just want to better understand what is happening so that I can work with it for a project and to eliminate it in my BBS flock.

From what I understand Orps are extended black. I was told that the problem is that one of the original parents had Silver which canceled out the red. At first this made perfect sense, because it seems to be sex linked because it only shows up in the males. However, after thinking about it, I am not so sure.

Please someone help me understand this.
 
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I understand it the same way. I think that gold in males, s+/s+, will allow gold leakage without proper melanizers, but silver S/S may leak silver or white. Heterozygous S/s+, when leaking, would be a yellower color. I believe that it's the lack of melanizers rather than the gold allele, but I also think that red is the leakier pigment anyway.
 
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Ok, so what you are saying is that you don't believe that the silver has anything to do with the leakage.

If what you are saying is true, then the reason for the leakage only in the males is due to the fact that they have stronger color characteristics. I know that this is not the correct terminology.

On one of my cockerals, the red is currently only on the neck hackles, and is coming in almost laced. He is only 4 mos old so I know more may be coming.
 
I think that lack of melanizers causes the leakage, but the silver and gold determine the color of the leakage. I don't know why it's mostly a male trait, but I have had females with leakage, too, in a laced pattern on the chest like you describe.
31816_img_0355.jpg
 
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Ok...let's go back a little bit. The birds are all supposed to be blue/black/splash lineage. How would the melanizers be lost?

There were English orps crossed with American orps. Neither of the parents showed the leakage.
 
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How it happens is a matter that is over my head. Someone else will need to help here....
 

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